The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same.
Miniaturization of semiconductor devices including solid-state image pickup device such as CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor is required. Followed by this, a light receiving area including microlens and light receiving element (photodiode), and a peripheral circuit area including plural layers for performing read-out operation, etc. of photoelectrically converted signal electrons are formed in one-chip.
In the case where interlayer insulating films of the light receiving area and the peripheral circuit area are formed by the same film structure, there was the problem that the distance between the microlens and the light receiving element is elongated, and an unnecessary layer or layers exist on the light receiving element so that quantity of light attenuation takes place, and the sensitivity at the light receiving element is thus lowered.
In order to solve such a problem, there is proposed an image sensor in which plural interlayer insulating films of active pixel area on the light receiving element are removed so that the distance between the lens and the light conversion element is caused to be shorter than the distance from the uppermost part of the interlayer insulating film formed on the peripheral circuit area to the substrate.
However, such image sensor has the problem that planarization film having high water permeability is only provided below the lens, but passivation film is not formed. For this reason, there is the problem that resistance with respect to water or stress from the outside is low so that the reliability is lowered.